It could even be said that after Guixu was injured and hid in the back mountains, he may have been waiting for Yang Kai's arrival.
Guixu's transformation into such a ferocious state was likely the result of the secret technique Gong Yue had cast. Yang Kai still remembered that when he had tracked Gong Yue through that half of the demonic thought, Guixu had actually bitten Gong Yue while they were on Lingjian Peak.
Beneath Lingjian Peak lay the hidden sealed-demonic site, and the birth of Guixu's bloodline was likely connected to it.
As for Yang Kai, he possessed the Ancient Demon's Black Eyes, with the aura of an ancient demon sealed within his body. Guixu may have sensed this, which was why he had wanted to get close to him.
Various thoughts flashed through his mind and vanished. Yang Kai quickly arrived at the spatial formation, and with a surge of laws, returned directly to the Northern Region's Lingxiao Palace.
A moment later, light flashed across the formation, and two figures appeared.
"Palace Master, is this Qingyang Temple?" Nanmen Dajun looked around curiously and clicked his tongue. "Not that impressive. It doesn't have the grandeur of our Lingxiao Palace. Hmm, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth here seems a bit lacking too."
"Do more and talk less—don't you understand that much?" Yang Kai flew ahead at the front.
Nanmen Dajun chuckled. "Yes, yes, yes. Oh right, Young Hou asked me to check with you—how's that flying artifact working out? Any need for repairs?"
"No need. It works just fine."
"Oh, and Palace Master, that girl from Ice Heart Valley—the one named Yao or something—she's come by several times. Every time she comes and sees you're not here, she leaves. Could she be our Palace Mistress?"
"You sure have a lot to say, don't you?"
"Fine, fine, fine. I won't say anything." Nanmen Dajun covered his mouth, held it in for a while, then suddenly blurted out, "That girl really is quite something, though."
"We're here!" As he spoke, Yang Kai descended toward the ground below.
The group below had obviously noticed their arrival. Looking up, they were all curious about why Yang Kai had suddenly brought a stranger along.
Nanmen Dajun, however, was like a cat that had caught the scent of fish—his expression elated as he gazed at the entrance to the sealed-demonic site, eyes glowing, pacing back and forth before the cave mouth, his excitement growing ever more apparent.
After a long moment, he suddenly turned around. "Palace Master, I'm heading down. Wait for my good news."
He paid no heed to anyone else. He simply jumped straight down and quickly vanished from sight.
The group looked at Yang Kai curiously.
Yang Kai said, "That's Nanmen Dajun, an Emperor Formation Master from the Northern Region. He happened to be nearby, so I brought him along to help."
Wen Zishan watched him with a knowing smile, as if she had noticed something but chose not to point it out.
As time passed, news continued to flow up from below. Nanmen Dajun truly lived up to his reputation as an Emperor Formation Master. After entering the sealed-demonic site, he quickly cracked numerous remaining formation restrictions and seized control through his own ability, earning the admiration of the temple's formation masters.
The formation-breaking lasted a full two days. During this time, people from the Southern Region's major sects continuously arrived at Qingyang Temple seeking information. The temple allowed them all entry, with several temple elders taking turns to receive them and explain the sealed-demonic site and the matter of the demonic thought breaking its seals.
Many turned pale upon hearing the news, deeply worried.
Two days later, over a hundred people had gathered beneath Lingjian Peak. Almost all of them were Emperor Venerable Realm powerhouses, waiting for news from within the Sealed-Demonic Grotto.
Now that the demonic thought had escaped, tracking it down was a monumental problem. This was the first time in all of the Southern Region's history that such a thing had happened—there was absolutely no experience to draw upon. Everything hinged on whether any clues remained within the Sealed-Demonic Grotto; otherwise, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
There were no clues inside the Sealed-Demonic Grotto.
Nanmen Dajun and the temple's formation masters had cracked every restriction inside but found no information about the demonic thought. The formations they had deciphered, however, did yield some useful insights.
They might prove useful if and when the demonic thought needed to be sealed again in the future.
For a time, everyone was wracked with worry.
Delegates arrived from the Star God Palace, led personally by Grand Elder Lei Hong. He brought the Great Emperor's Demon Extermination Decree, commanding all sects and family powers in the Southern Region to thoroughly investigate their own disciples and clansmen, guarding against anyone who might have been corrupted by the demonic thought.
Lei Hong proclaimed the Great Emperor's decree beneath Lingjian Peak, and naturally, no one dared refuse.
It had to be said—the Great Emperor's Demon Extermination Decree gave the entire Southern Region a backbone to rely on. The minds of the many powerhouses were no longer as turbulent as before. After all, no matter what, the Southern Region still had the Star God Palace and still had the Bright Moon Great Emperor. No matter how cunning and fierce the demonic thought might be, as long as a Great Emperor held watch, it would never be able to stir up any significant waves.
After the Demon Extermination Decree was issued, the many Emperor Venerable Realm cultivators prepared to leave Qingyang Temple and return to their respective sects to begin the investigation.
Just then, a streak of red light suddenly shot in from outside, its momentum aggressive and overbearing, cutting through over a hundred li of distance in the blink of an eye as it charged straight toward Lingjian Peak.